Cybersecurity Startup Swimlane Raises $70M For World Enlargement

July 06, 2022, 09:50 AM EDT

About 70 p.c to 75 p.c of Swimlane’s present enterprise is through the channel in North America, Swimlane CEO James Brear tells CRN, and he’s anticipating a ‘large’ enhance in that enterprise as Swimlane expands into Europe and Asia.

Swimlane has landed an extra $70 million in funding because the safety automation startup prepares for a “large” enlargement of its channel enterprise.

Boulder, Colo.-based Swimlane’s new Sequence C funding was led by Activate Capital, with prior traders Vitality Impression Companions and 3Lines Enterprise Capital collaborating within the newest spherical. Swimlane has now raised about $92 million since its founding in 2014.

The brand new money infusion can be used for quite a few issues, together with enlargement of the corporate’s advertising and partnership applications on a world scale, stated Swimlane CEO James Brear.

About 70 p.c to 75 p.c of Swimlane’s present enterprise is through the channel in North America, Brear stated in an interview with CRN.

However Brear stated he’s anticipating a “large” enhance in channel enterprise as Swimlane expands into Europe and Asia, the place channel partnerships are extra prevalent.

“We need to be solely channel-led,” stated Brear, who didn’t launch income numbers for the agency.

Swimlane presently has about 180 workers, and that quantity is anticipated to develop to 200 to 220 by the top of this yr, Brear stated.

The funding information comes a month after Swimlane introduced the discharge of its new product, Turbine, which the corporate describes as a “breakthrough low-code safety automation platform” that performs higher than a “usually closed prolonged detection and response ecosystem.”

Turbine might be delivered on-premises or through the cloud, in line with Brear.

Turbine was launched as cybersecurity firms more and more emphasize the advantages of automation as a strategy to decrease prospects’ safety prices and their want for extra security-related workers.

“We invested in Swimlane as a result of we consider within the firm’s capacity to unlock probably the most invaluable product developments prospects demand for safety automation inside and outdoors the [Security Operations Center],” stated Raj Atluru, managing companion at Activate Capital. Atluru is becoming a member of Swimlane’s board following its funding of the corporate.

In a press launch, Atluru stated Swimlane has “risen to satisfy the rising want for low-code safety automation to assist organizations quantify enterprise worth, overcome course of and knowledge fatigue, and fight persistent staffing shortages.”

Sameer Reddy, managing companion at Vitality Impression, agreed that the demand for automation is rising.

“Organizations don’t have sufficient individuals, cash or sources to handle all of their safety workflows throughout all the group, whereas additionally responding to threats the second they occur,” he stated in a press release. “Automation must play a important position in addressing these challenges and Swimlane is extremely well-positioned because the main unbiased safety automation platform.”

Brear undoubtedly has excessive hopes for Swimlane, telling CRN that “our sport plan is to go public” inside the subsequent three to 5 years. Throughout the identical time interval, he stated he’d wish to develop Swimlane right into a $100 million, break-even firm.

In current weeks, quite a few later-stage cybersecurity startups have laid off tons of of workers and lower different bills because of the current drying up of the IPO market.

However Braer stated present market circumstances shouldn’t damage Swimlane’s long-term plans, assuming the markets get better inside three to 5 years.

Within the brief time period, he stated demand for cybersecurity merchandise will stay robust, financial downturn or no financial downturn, and so Swimlane is in a “great spot” proper now for development.

The lately raised Sequence C funds ought to be capable of carry Swimlane by means of potential uneven financial instances to return, he added.